Online restaurant guide Zomato has rolled out a new social layer which gives users personalised tips from food buddies on where to get the best grub.
The New Delhi-based company launched its website in New Zealand in July last year, and has so far compiled menu information and reviews for 6,030 hospitality businesses in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.
Zomato's revamped website and mobile app builds on two ideas - that individual preferences vary, and that building a trusted system will result in easier decision-making, says founder and chief executive of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal.
"Even before the advent of the internet, people relied on social opinions for restaurant discovery. In our endless discussions with our users, we realised this behaviour is still widely prevalent, but not catered to effectively by existing local discovery tools or review websites," he said.
To enable personalised experience, Zomato will now be a login-only service. Users are encouraged to sign up via their Facebook or Google+ accounts where activity can be posted to friends.
